I'm just amazed that the Eurofighter made it home and the pilot didn't punch out, the plane is said to have sustained major damage to both the wing and fuselage. I can't help but think that the fly-by-wire system played a big part, something that the Lear unfortunately couldn't fall back on.

That's somewhat reminiscent of the Israeli F-15 Eagle that made it home with one wing missing. Amazing what computers can compensate for.

That's some radical conclusion you've made crediting "computers" and FBW for saving the fighter jet. Fighter jets are by design made to sustain and survive battle damage irrespective of the type of flight control system in use. And an F-15 made it home with one wing missing? Are you sure that the wing was missing? That would be a new twist on the sage "Coming in on a wing and a prayer." FBW is merely electronic flight control signaling to a hydraulic flight control actuator via wires with the pilot's flight control commands filtered through a complex computer program that compensates for any inherent designed dynamic instability. a common feature of FBW machines. Redundancy in wire paths is the only advantage.

Scratch one for the Amerikaners! Ever wonder why it's always a Learjet doing all this target, aerial photo, air to air photo stuff. If you ever get a chance to get behind in one (that means go fly one) do it and then you'll know why. Start with a Lear 24! They are a Hoot! Regards to the crew, who were probably not the culprits.

The 23's and the early S.N. 24's had a 10,000 FPM VSI and you could peg em at light weights and on cold days into the teens. After I wasn't one anymore, I used to tell the FNG's, You don't fly a Lear, You point it!